Methods for sample presentation using autonomous vehicles

ABSTRACT

A method and a system to present samples of products to customers by transporting the samples to the customer&#39;s location with an autonomous vehicle. The sample can be a product, a component of a product, a material or a device to gather information in defining the product. The autonomous vehicle is adapted for off road travel and may enter buildings, it can be carried to a nearby location by a street adapted vehicle. Information may be transmitted electronically but physical presence is essential. The customer or the customer&#39;s agent receives a presentation of the product definer and a selection of a final product is made. In other cases the autonomous vehicle delivery separate or installed technical equipment to examine the presentation location and assist in the final product selection. For example, photographs from multiple locations can measure a room for installation of carpets or draperies, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Present Invention

The present invention relates to a method selling goods or services bypresenting samples at a customer's location and taking orders with acustomer access combining a conventional vehicle on the public roads andan autonomous vehicle for final customer access.

Background Concerning the Need for the Current Invention

Products are widely sold one or the other of two broad methods; eitherselection from catalogs, internet pages or other descriptive informationsystems or by allowing a customer to inspect the products or relatedsamples at a seller's location. Both of these methods have limitations.

Catalogs and on-line presentations can only describe the product inwords and pictures and are limited in the way they can deliver theexperience of the product. They cannot show the feel of a product orallow the customer to test the product. The customer is limited by thecapabilities of the communication means employed.

Physical “brick and mortar” stores can give a much fuller presentationby showing the customer the actual product, samples or other physicalpresentation aids, but they require the customer to travel to theseller's location. The time and expense for this can be very limitingbecause customers are busy and may choose to visit a competitor on thebasis of convenience.

The ideal situation for selling is to present products or samples to apotential customer at the customers preferred location which istypically inside the customer's home or office. A salesperson can bringthe samples and make an in-person call, but that is too expensive inmany cases. Only by presenting a product by means of an autonomousvehicle adapted to access interior spaces can products be shown anddemonstrated inexpensively in many cases.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The current invention includes a method of selection products by firstselecting a group of products on the basis of demand and a location topresent samples or objects to assist in defining a specific product.This selection can be on the basis of a communication from the customeror may be made on the basis of other information. The samples or objectsare used to select a particular product from the class of products. Thesamples or objects are transported to the customer's location by anautonomous vehicle and presented to the customer to enable theselection. The samples or physical product definers are useful becausethey can carry information that is not suitable for virtual delivery.

The presentation location can be inside a building where a streetvehicle is not suitable. The presentation can be directly to a customeror can consist of using the product definer to gather information fromthe presentation location. In many cases the customer examines theproduct definer by sight or touch.

The invention includes a system for accomplishing the method which hasthe combination of an autonomous vehicle, a physical product definer

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed hereinwill be better understood with respect to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing steps of the method of the currentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed diagram of the first steps of the method.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed diagram of the later steps of the method.

FIG. 4 is a view of an elevation of a vehicle carrying product definersand a customer.

FIG. 5 is a view of a screen built into a vehicle to make selectionsfrom product definers.

FIG. 6 is a view of typical product definers.

FIG. 7 is a view of additional product definers.

FIG. 8 is a product definer being used to measure a customer'sapartment.

FIG. 9 is the carpeted area as developed by the product definer in FIG.8

FIG. 10 is a view of a transfer point and certain second vehicle paths.

FIG. 11 is a view of a transfer point with second vehicles beingdispatched to take an. elevator to approach apartment inside doors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND EMBODIMENTS Definitions

The definitions in this section apply throughout the specification andin the claims. Where definitions in common or in dictionary use arecontrary to these definitions, the definitions here apply. Wheredefinitions in common or dictionary use are consistent with thesedefinitions, the definitions here supplement the common or dictionarydefinitions.

A product is a unit of the quid pro quo of an actual or potential salestransaction. It may include goods or services or subscriptions to goodsor services.

A product definer is a physical object presented to define the nature ofa product. It may be a product itself, a material or a component of aproduct, a model of a product or component. It may also be a device togather information or to make a measurement, comparison or test todefine a product. While product definer is defined to be limited to aphysical object, may involve information components that are displayedor otherwise used in conjunction with physical object. For example, avideo display which brought to the presentation may constitute theproduct definer but may function by presenting information to thecustomer.

The term sample is used in this specification in the broader sense of aproduct definer and is not limited to a product or a part or a portionof a product. The two terms are used interchangeably but always have thebroader sense unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Presentation of a product definer means making the product definerincludes operation of a product definer which is a device to facilitatedefinition of the product.

A vehicle is a device that can travel from one location to another underits own power and under autonomous, remote or driver control.

A road vehicle which herein is also called a first vehicle is a vehiclewhich can travel on public roads. It may come from a depot which storesproduct definers or it may already be loaded with product definers orautonomous second vehicles which have product definers. It may be ahuman driven, a remotely operated or an autonomous vehicle.

A autonomous vehicle is a vehicle which is enabled to travel without ahuman driver. It may depend on communication links for information orcomputing assistance from outside of the vehicle for part of itsoperation.

A autonomous second vehicle is a vehicle which can carry a productdefiner from a transfer point reached by a road vehicle to a locationwhich is not accessible by a public road network.

The term seller includes agents and representatives of parties sellingproducts. It also includes parties who seek to promote products in theinterest of product sellers.

The term customer is synonymous with buyer and includes those whoactually or potentially wish to acquire products from sellers.

Products

Products include both goods and services. They are to be chosen by thecustomer from the class of products to which a product definer applies.For the sake of illustration, consider a seller who sells paint andfloor tile with each one in red or in brown colors. This defines fourproducts—red paint, brown paint, red floor tile and yellow floor tile.The seller may also provide two service products—painting walls andtiling floors which here would be sold and priced by the square foot.I.E. in the example 1 square foot of painting is a unit of a product.

Classes of Products

A class of products for the purposes of the methods described here is agroup of products that would allow sellection by a particular productdefiner or group of product definers. For the products above two classesof products might be paint which is selected on the basis of a book ofcolor chips and floor tile which is selected on the basis of a set ofsample tiles. The service products might be another class of productsfor this seller with a measuring device to estimate square footage as aproduct definer.

Product Definers

The function of a product definer is to allow the customer to make achoice from a class of products. This would, hopefully from theviewpoint of a seller, lead to the ordering of products. A productdefiner for the various embodiments is a physical object. This isbecause the embodiments described herein comprise methods of physicallytransporting the product definers to the customer for inspection. Mereinformation in itself is not considered here because it can be deliveredwithout the need for transportation of a physical object; but if aphysical device is required to receive or interpret the information toinform a customer's decision then the device becomes a product definer.

In various embodiments the product definers can take different forms. Aproduct definer may be an actual product that can be retained by thecustomer. This would be appropriate when a customer requires testing theperformance or operation of the product to make a buying decision. Inother embodiments the product definer may be an actual product which,however, is not retained by the customer. There would be a way for thecustomer to examine the product by sight, hearing, touch for othersenses or test means. The customer might even be able to connect to anelectronic product to test compatibility with the customer own equipmentor other products held by the customer.

In many embodiments the product definer may not be an entire product buta part of a product or a sample of a material to be incorporated into aproduct. Similarly, a model of a product which would enable a customerto handle and view from all sides a representation of a product toolarge to be actually brought for examination. It might for example be amodel of a building yet to be built.

In another group of embodiments the product definer may not be an actualproduct, but comprises materials, devices or representations that enablethe customer to make a buying decision. As one example, the productdefiner may be a set of gauges to determine the size of an engagementring. A customer may want to get the size and order the ring when thetime is ripe and the engagement partner is present and willing to accepta proposal. In another embodiment, product definers of fabrics in whicha garment could be provided are presented for examination by thecustomer.

In some embodiments the product definer may be custom produced for thecustomer. For example, the customer may provide information such a colorand a set of initials and the product definer may be samples ofhandkerchiefs with the customer's own initials embroidered on them. Thiscould be effective in selling either larger lots of handkerchiefs orother larger embroidered items. In a commercial context advertisingitems such a pens with engraved logos by justify samples showing theactual intended item with the final logo.

Presenting Product Definers

The customer may be allowed to remove a product definer for examinationfrom the second vehicle and may or may not be required to replace theproduct definer on the second vehicle. The product definer may beprotected by a variety of means. This includes encasement in atransparent box or other enclosure, attachment by a tether, attachingthe product definer to the structure or the definition vehicle or othermeans to insure the product definer is not removed. If the productdefiner is removable than means such as determining the weight ofproduct definers or the presence of product definers in specificreceptacles can be used to ensure that all product definers are returnedbefore departure of the second vehicle.

In many embodiments the product definer presentation may consist ofallowing the customer to look at or handle a product definer. In othercases, the product definer may perform an active role in allowing acustomer to select a service or product. An example of an active role isto have the product definer consist of ring gages for measuring aperson's finger(s) for determining a ring size. There are many otheruses for measuring devices. These include delivering as a productdefiner a laser measuring device which records measurements taken by thecustomer for items such as curtains or furniture to be installed. Themeasuring device may be a recording device to gather pictures, audiosamples or sensor data to define the product or service.

In some embodiments the customer may not be present. There may be aperson who represents the customer and accepts the product definer.Another person may use the product definer to perform actions such asmeasuring. Or there may be no person present at all and the productdefiner may be left or used to perform some task relevant to productdefinition. Two examples of the latter are a product definer which makesunattended measurements or one which connects via a local network todevices only accessible by local access over a system such as Wi-Fi.

Throughout this specification and in the claims, presentation is definedto include the case where a product definer interacts with persons orobjects located at the presentation location and gathers information tobe used to select a product.

In some embodiments a representative of the seller may be present whenthe presentation occurs. The product definer by be shown to the customerby the representative or used by the representative to perform an actionrelative to the selection of a product.

Virtual Presentation and Acquisition

The term virtual presentation or acquisition as used in thisspecification and associated claims means transferring information thatdoes not require the presence at the presentation location of thephysical product definer. The usefulness of a physical product defineris to allow the use of information that cannot conveniently betransmitted electronically to the presentation location and received byequipment already there. If the physical product definer displays oruses information transmitted electronically to or from the presentationlocation, but the information cannot be displayed or utilized withoutthe resources of the physical product definer, this does not constitutevirtual product presentation or acquisition

Vehicles Operable on Public Roads

A vehicle operable on public roads serves as the first vehicle and takesthe product definer to a transfer point. This vehicle of this systemoperates on the public road system or on private roads and ways whichare designed for such vehicles. The public road system is highlyregulated in both the roads themselves and in the vehicles that arepermitted to operate on them.

Restrictions on road vehicles include size minimums which are currentlydesigned for human operated vehicles and intended to prevent use of toyvehicles on roads. As autonomous vehicles become common additionalstandards will be adopted for them and are likely to have much moredetailed minimum size requirements. One reason for this is that vehicleslikely not to be seen by other drivers would be considered dangerous.

The size and design of vehicles is also limited by requirements forlighting.

It is currently unknown the extent of usage of autonomous vehicles onpublic roads that will be allowed as the technology of such vehiclesadvances. Vehicles operated on public roads are required to havespecific licenses from the various states before they may legally bedriven on the roads.

Vehicles operated on public roads must have speed capabilities andperformance to keep up with traffic.

Vehicle for Access to Location not Accessible by Public Roads

The second leg of the transportation process for a product definer isfrom the transfer point to the location for presentation. The vehiclefor this leg is to be autonomous and can function off of the publicroads. A typical embodiment would have the first vehicle stop in aparking area or on the public road near the customer's home. The secondautonomous vehicle would travel in areas not suitable for the firstvehicle such as walks, stairs, apartment halls or elevators. The vehiclewould be adapted for that purpose as well as to the needs of carryingand presenting the product definer(s).

The vehicle which performs the final access segment is an autonomous ordriverless vehicle. This means a vehicle which operates under thecontrol of non-human processing equipment. It includes all vehiclesother than those controlled by humans whether the human drive is on orwith the vehicle or is operating the vehicle by a remote connection.

In some embodiments the autonomous vehicle may operate in an open loopmanner from instructions or an internal map without changes frominformation delivered during the operation from sensors or otherenvironmental information sources.

The autonomous vehicle may update the information in the movement planor internal map by receiving information gathered by sources outside thevehicle or it may gather information from sensors associated with thevehicle. Regardless of the source of new information the updating of theplan or map may be continuous or in an incremental process.

Information which is supplied to the autonomous secondary deliveryvehicle by the delivery recipient or the location controller isdescribed below.

Autonomous vehicles have numerous advantages over human operatedvehicles, especially over vehicles which carry humans. Among these isthe smaller size, often much smaller. Avoidance of the need for safetymeasures to protect an operator although protective measures for otherpersons and property remain. The cost of a human operator is high. Evenif a human is needed to dispatch, load or monitor vehicles, it is oftenthe case that one person can handle a number of autonomous vehicles. Itmay be undesirable to have a human operator, even one working remotely,approach a final delivery point. This may be for safety, security orother reasons.

In some embodiments the autonomous vehicle may incorporate equipment toperform additional operations while delivering the parcel. For example,the product definer may be a specialized item which can be installed bythe delivering equipment. An example of the would be an analyzer whichwould be installed to monitor details of the power usage at thepresentation location and which would recommend products or services toincrease efficiency.

Location for Presentation

The initial communication from the customer will have defined a locationfor the presentation. In most embodiments, the location would be a placemore convenient to the customer than any place directly accessible by apublic road network. There can be other reasons for having a locationaway from the public roads such as security. E.G. it might not be safeto show samples consisting of extremely valuable diamonds on the street.Other reasons for an off-street location include the necessity ofaccessing customer property to use the product definer. An example ofthis is where the product definer consists of measuring equipment lasermeasuring devices that are built into the second vehicle and used selectproducts to be installed into the real estate. The location might alsobe a place where an activity to supported by the product selection isperformed. One example is a vehicle which comes up to the table in arestaurant, sizes a finger for a ring and displays ring samples. Onehopes that the immediacy of the presentation brings success to aproposal of marriage.

Location Not Accessible by Public Road Network

Most locations for presentation as requested in the first communicationare not completely accessible by vehicles on the public roads

There are numerous reasons that a presentation location cannot beaccessed by a public road vehicle. For example, there may be narrowpaths which are not designed to allow larger vehicles. There may benon-vehicle doors to be passed. There may be stairs to be climbed.Safety requirements may prevent driving road vehicles in certain areas.The final delivery point may be inside a building and accessible by anelevator. All of these situations occur in the various embodiments ofthe current described invention.

The inaccessibility of the presentation location to road vehicles may bephysical in nature as in the narrow paths, stairs or elevators above. Inother cases, the inaccessibility may be imposed administratively fornon-physical reasons such as security, safety or even to maintaindecorum.

Administrative inaccessibility can also come from the need to performoperations or deliver services other that the actual bringing of theproduct definer to be presented in conjunction with the delivery.Examples include security inspections which may be impractical with roadvehicles, delays which would hold up a primary delivery vehicle frommaking other deliveries, handling restrictions depending on the natureof the product definer which may be large or require special handlingand many other special situations.

Receiving First Communication from Customer

A customer wanting to learn about goods or services can communicate witha seller. This can be done by phone, by an online application or byanother means. One advantage of the methods envisioned is that thecustomer can start and complete the process of making an informed choiceand ordering a service or product without going to a particular locationor to the seller. The only requirement for the customer is for access bythe definition vehicle.

The customer in requesting product definers explicitly or implicitlyspecifies the type of product definer(s) wanted. An example of doingthis directly is to state “send me sample set B.” A less directspecification could be “send me samples that fit a 26 inch ladiesbicycle.” An example of an implicit product definer specification wouldbe a system that advertises “for curtain samples call (000) 000-1111,for bedspread samples call (000) 000-2222)” The choice of phone numberimplicitly defines the requested product definers.

In some embodiments a representative of the seller may be present withthe customer and relying on information gathered from the customer callin the request. In that case there is a direct communication from thecustomer to the representative and an indirect communication from thecustomer through the representative.

Selecting Physical Product Definer

A seller having received a request for product definers has informationabout the specific product definers to send to be seen by the customer.This information can be from prior experience in sales, informationabout the customer such as identity or interests know to be associatedwith this customer or information given by the customer in thecommunication requesting product definers.

The seller selects product definers on the basis of this information andon the basis of other factors. These other factors can include thecapacity of transporters; marketing, physical or display compatibilitywith other product definers; availability of product to fill orders;profitability of various products; image goals by seller; contractualobligations; and many more. The product definers may them be loaded onthe autonomous vehicle or an autonomous vehicle may be selected ashaving appropriate product definers.

Transporting to Transfer Point

In embodiments where two vehicles are used to transport the productdefiner(s), the product definer(s) are taken to the transfer paint byone vehicle which may be one suitable for travel on public roads. Inother embodiments, the first vehicle may be selected a being moreeconomical than the autonomous vehicle used as the second vehicle. Thiseconomy may be because of its not be required to navigate the final legof the journey or because the first vehicle can serve multipledeliveries.

Transporting to Location for Presentation

The vehicle making the final transportation to the location is anautonomous vehicle. This has several advantages. The cost of providing ahuman driver for each presentation is substantial and is saved by use ofan autonomous vehicle. In many cases the final link of travel to thepresentation location is not suitable for vehicles adapted for humandrivers. This includes destinations reached by stairways, elevators, andnarrow hallways etc. The adaptations of vehicles for these spaces arevery different than the adaptations of vehicles for use on public roads.

Making the Presentation

In some embodiments the presentation may be made by a computer in orworking through the autonomous vehicle. The product definer may be shownor otherwise presented to the customer at the location for presentation.The customer may have an input in the exact method of presentation or infurther selection of product definers.

In another class of embodiments a human representative of the seller maybe present at the presentation. This representative may communicate withthe aid of the product definers and assist in making a productselection.

In still another class of embodiments there may be a person representingthe seller who is not present at the presentation location butcommunicates over a video, audio or other communication link.

Selecting Particular Product

With the aid of the product definers the customer may select aparticular product or group of products or indicate a preference amongthe variables presented. A selection can be by model, color, size, typeor for some other variable in the availability of products. The sellerthen uses the customers selection of preference to select products forsale or for further presentation of negotiation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Referring to FIG. 1 a diagram of the steps of a typical embodiment ofthe current invention is shown. The steps begin by a seller having anavailability for receiving customer inquiries about potential interestin seller products. The customer makes a request 10 to be able toexamine a sample or other product definer. The seller collects two typeof information to set up the presentation of the product definer. Firstthe seller needs to know enough about the potential customer's interestto define a group or class of products to be presented 11 and the sellerneeds to know a location and time 12 to present the products. In orderto facilitate sales this appointment will be at a time and placeconvenient to the customer. When this information is collected theseller agrees with the customer on the appointment. The seller thenselects 13 appropriate product definers to present and prior to theappointed time transports 14 the product definer by road to a point nearto the customer. The road vehicle doing the transporting in most casestransport the autonomous vehicle to make the final presentation. Theproduct definer may be preloaded on the off road vehicle and theselection may actually be a selection of the second vehicle as onecarrying appropriate product definers or the product definers may beloaded on the second vehicle before or at the transfer point. The secondleg of the movement 15 is then made off of the public roads, for exampleinto an apartment building if the appointment will occur in thecustomer's apartment. The product definer is presented 16 to thecustomer and the customer then or later communicates a product choice 17to the seller who delivers 18 the product ending the process.

Refering to FIG. 2 details of the process of a typical embodiment areshown up to the dispatch of the first vehicle. A customer makes arequest including the category of products which are of interest and thetime and/or place for inspection of a product definer(s). The request isreceived 10 by the seller. The seller proforms functions which mayinclude identifying 21 a known customer. The data necessary to make adecision for the process is then gathered 22. The seller in many casesthen retrieves data about the customer from a known customer database.The customer supplies possibly in conjuction with data from the databasefor from outside sources the class of product and the presentationdesired. A determination 23 is made about the customers qualification toreceive receive the requested opportunity. The determination is made onthe basis of factors which may include the relation to the time andlocation requested to the available product determiner and vehicleresources available. If the customer or the request is not qualified therequest is politely declined 24. If the requested product definerinspection opportunity is to be accomplished, the seller 25 selectsappropriate product definers (samples). A first vehicle is selected orloaded with the appropriate product definer(s) 26 and the first step oftravel to the location via the public roads is begun 14.

Refering to FIG. 3 details of the continuation of the process arediagrammed. The first vehicle arrives at the nearest or most convienentpoint accessable by public roads—the transfer point 30. If theautonomous second vehicle has not been loaded with the productdefiner(s), then the product definers are loaded onto the second vehicle31. Because the first vehicle may have a driver, that driver or anotherperson may do the loading or it by be done by locally or remotelycontrolled machines. The second vehicle travels autonomously 32 acrossthe distance to the presentation location. This path crosses areas whichare not suitable for road vehicles such as the first vehicle. Thepresentation is made 16 on one of the modes described above. Thecustomer selects a product 33 and makes a communication 17 to registerthe selection with the seller. Then the product fulfullment isundertaken by the seller 34.

Refering to FIG. 4 an autonomous second vehicle 41 of an embodiment isshown making a presentation to a customer 42. The vehicle is adapted toaccess the customer's front door coming from the street where it wasbrought by the first vehicle. It functions with the aid of power 44,sensory 43 and communication 45 units to travel under it's own power andguidance to the presentation location. It carries product definers 46which are here depicted as chessmen. The customer examines the productdefiners and selects the one to be used in product fulfillment. Theselection is make on a touch screen built into the vehicle 47, but thesellection could also be made by means of an application on thecustomers cellphone or by another communication means.

Refering to FIG. 5 , the touchscreen 47 of FIG. 4 is shown with productdefiners 46 displayed in openings below. The customer makes a selectionby means of the touchscreen in the embodiment selected. Data processingand communication modules in the autonomous second vehicle make acommunication to initiate fulfillment of the request developed on thetouchscreen.

Referring to FIG. 6 , several examples of product definers exemplifyingdifferent categories are shown. A product definer can be a sample of theproduct to be defined itself. In some cases a single product ispresented to allow the customer to confirm its properties and to selectthat product over other possibilities form the same supplier or acompetitor. A group of related products 60 is depicted. In this case thecustomer or buyer can choose one or more from the possibilities with thesamples presented. Another type of product definer is a measuring deviceto be used to choose the selected product. A set of ring size gages 61is shown which can be used to measure a finger and select the size toorder a ring. The product definer may not be a product itself, but canbe a piece of a material or finish used in the product. Severaldifferent finishes are shown 62 which allow selection of differentcolors, textures, materials or other surface details.

Another category of product definer is an electronic device 63 whichconnects to customer devices over a local network. Large area networksare often blocked from accessing smart devices for security reasons. Adevice which can log into a local network perhaps using the customer'slocal password 64 can then talk to the local smart devices and defineproducts to work in conjunction with the local smart devices. Many typesof information that can be obtained from the customer's smart deviceswould serve to define products fitted to the customer's needs. Examplesof such information gathering would include determination of devicemodels for ordering spare parts, determining contents of customer'ssmart refrigerator and counting the number of smart light bulbs at thelocation.

Refering to FIG. 7 additional product definers are depicted. Smartdevice 70 which is a product definer carries a color sensor 71. Thedevice can either log measurements on its own memory or connect to asales server. A typical use is to measure the color of items at thecustomers location to recommend colors for products. If the measurementdevice is connected to a sales server then the color recommendations canbe made on the basis of available stock of products available to thecustomer.

An additional embodiment 72 has a smart device 73 with has a laserattachment 74 which uses a laser beam to make accurate measurements. Inthe depicted case the beam is returned by a reflector 75 which has alsobeen supplied as a product definer.

The product definer could be a plaque or target for use with a customerscamera, smart device or cellphone. Such a case is shown as 76 which hasan area with a precisely printed grid 77. Photographs of the grid couldbe analyzed to show the range and size of objects photographed with thetarget. Other areas on the target 78 are printed in controlled colorswhich allow corrections for accurate color matching of products based onphotographs made by the customer.

Refering to FIG. 8 an application of a product definer is shownimplemented as a camera 80 mounted on an autonomous vehicle 81. Theautonomous vehicle is also show in two other postions 82. Takingpictures in three or more positions allow a computer which could be onthe autonomous vehicle or accessed remotely to generate a threedimensional model of the room and calculate the precise area to becarpeted. The calculated shape for carpet allows for a curved edge 83,notches for a wall projection 84 and stairs 85 and for a wall 86 at anon-perpendicular orientation 86.

Refering to FIG. 9 , the shape 87 calculated by the computer of FIG. 8is shown. Knowing the precise shape and size of the carpeted area allowsthe carpet seller to give a price estimate including material and labor.It also allows carpet to be pre-cut to the precise shape needed whichwould allow installation to be accomplished by personnel with a lowerskill requirement. This would be especially useful if the carpet is tohave a large pattern element which requires specific placement in theroom.

Referring to FIG. 10 , a first vehicle 100 with a cargo of autonomoussecond vehicles 101 carrying product definers has left a depot 102. Anumber of first communications have been received from customers and thefirst vehicle has been scheduled to bring second vehicles to severallocations. It drops an autonomous second vehicle 101 at the curb nearthe presentation location 103 for the first presentation. This location104 is a transfer point. The product definer may be preloaded on thesecond vehicle or it may be loaded at the transfer point. For example,if the first vehicle is human driven the driver may be responsible forloading the appropriate product definer. In other cases the selection ofthe particular second vehicle to use may be the process for selecting anappropriate product definer which is preloaded or installed on theautonomous second vehicle. The second vehicle traverses the distance offof the public road 105 to the presentation point and the presentation ismade. In the depicted case the first vehicle may return to pick up thesecond vehicle after the presentation is complete. The presentationpoint is depicted as being on the porch of a dwelling, but in many casesthe presentation point is inside, especially if the presentationinvolves measuring or taking pictures to assist in defining the selectedproduct from the class of products.

(#'s 100-119) Referring to FIG. 11 , a first vehicle 100 with a cargo ofautonomous second vehicles 101 carrying product definers has left adepot 102 and traveled by public roads 105 to the loading dock 106 of amulti-story apartment building 107. The loading dock here is a transferpoint and a autonomous second vehicle 101 leaves the first vehicle,crosses the loading area and approaches an elevator 108. The secondvehicle takes the elevator to the appropriate floor 109 and approachesthe appropriate door 110. The buyer lets the vehicle in and thepresentation is performed.

I claim:
 1. A method of selection a product comprising: (a) selecting alocation where information to select the product is available, (b)transporting a physical product definer with an autonomous vehicle tothe location, (c) acquiring the information at the location with the useof the physical product definer, and (d) selecting the product based onthe information; wherein: (a) acquisition of the information requiresthe physical presence of the physical product definer at the location,and (b) the information concerns conditions at the location.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein: the information is obtained by measuring anobject at the location with the physical product definer.
 3. The methodof claim 1 wherein: the information is obtained electronically at thelocation wherein access to the information is restricted to a limitedarea including the location.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein: theinformation is obtained at the location by a camera comprised in theproduct definer.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein: the information isobtained at the location by a sensor comprised in the product definer.6. The method of claim 1 wherein: the physical product definer comprisesa data presentation device and the information is acquired byinteraction with the data presentation device.
 7. The method of claim 1wherein: the information is acquired by interaction with a data entrydevice comprised in the product definer.
 8. A method of selection aproduct comprising: (a) transporting a physical product definer with anautonomous vehicle to a location where information to select a productis available, (b) acquiring the information at the location with the useof the physical product definer, and (c) selecting the product based onthe information; wherein (a) acquisition of the information requires thephysical presence of the physical product definer at the location, (b)the information is determined with the use of the physical productdefiner, and (c) the physical product definer collects the informationat the location.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein: the information isobtained by measuring an object at the location with the physicalproduct definer.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein: the information isobtained electronically at the location wherein access to theinformation is restricted to a limited area including the location. 11.The method of claim 8 wherein: the information is obtained at thelocation by a camera comprised in the product definer.
 12. The method ofclaim 8 wherein: the information is obtained at the location by a sensorcomprised in the product definer.
 13. The method of claim 8 wherein: thephysical product definer comprises a data presentation device and theinformation is acquired by interaction with the data presentationdevice.
 14. The method of claim 8 wherein: the information is acquiredby interaction with a data entry device comprised in the productdefiner.
 15. The method of claim 8 wherein: the physical product definercomprises a sample of a product.
 16. The method of claim 8 wherein:acquiring the information at the location comprises measuring one ormore parameters related to the conditions at the location.
 17. Themethod of claim 8 wherein: the physical product definer comprises one ormore sensors configured to measure characteristics of the location. 18.The method of claim 8 wherein: the physical product definer comprises acamera for capturing visual information at the location, and theacquired information includes image data used for product selection. 19.The method of claim 8 wherein: the information is acquired at thelocation further comprising performing a scan or a survey using thephysical product definer to gather data relevant to the productselection.